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A new toxin from the Blue Coral Snake
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(a) Specimen of Calliophis bivirgatus, the blue coralsnake (Photo by Tom Charlton). (b) Dissected preserved 112 cm Calliophis bivirgatus specimen with 29 cm elongated venom glands (arrows). The Asian Coral snakes in the genus Calliophis feed upon other snakes, including other snake-eating venomous species of Elapidae such as kraits (Bungarus) and king cobras (Ophiophagus). A unique evolutionary scenario ensues,…
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Loss and Re-emergence of Legs in Snakes
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This image depicts mouse embryos with the ZRS from cobra or python inserted into their genomes, replacing the normal gene regulator. Their truncated limb development is visible in the comparative bone scans. Credit: Kvon et al. Cell 2016 Snakes lost their limbs over 100 million years ago, but scientists have struggled to identify the genetic…
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Aegean wall lizards switch foraging modes in a human-built environments
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Male of Erhard’s Wall Lizard (Podarcis erhardii) in the ruins of Ag. Achilleos on the small island in Lake Mikri Prespa. Author: Jeroen Speybroeck mirrors.nl:Afbeelding:Erhard wall lizard Florina.jpg The Aegean Wall Lizard, Podarcis erhardii inhabits the Balkan peninsula and the Aegean islands. On the mainland it ranges from Albania, the Republic of Macedonia and southern Bulgaria to the…
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The snake that ate a lizard, that ate an insect
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An interpretive drawing of SMF ME 11332a overlaid on a photograph. The lizard, Geiseltaliellus maarius (orange), is preserved in the stomach of the snake (white). The lizard was swallowed headfirst, and the tail does not appear to have been shed during the encounter with the snake. The position of the insect in the abdominal cavity…
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A new Andean Shadow Snake and the Diaphorolepidini tribe
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Nicéforo María’s Shadow Snake, Synophis niceforomariae The genus Synophis contains a number of enigmatic species, distributed primarily in the Andean highlands of northern South America. Their extreme crypsis and rarity has precluded detailed study of most species. A recent flurry of collection activity resulted in the accession of many new specimens, and the description of…
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